I know you will
by Broken Tourniquet
Summary: Fem!Shep/Liara small thing. Dedicated to anyone who loves the couple as much as I do (OTP) and my friend CharlesWS. Complete for now till I Figure out whether or not I'd like to continue this as a short series through the ME games.


_**AN:** I have become a Mass Effect fan and FEM!Shep x Liara has become an OTP._

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Shepard took a deep breath and smiled. Call it a sixth sense but since she and Dr. T'Soni had joined minds she could tell when the woman was nearby which was always a good thing. The doctor though still not trusted by all of the crew certainly had her full and complete trust, though it went beyond that now. She had acknowledged her interest in Liara as Liara has to her which was much harder than anyone could tell especially after Yulia, but she kept headstrong and let the doctor have her space as asked. She wouldn't dare push the doctor, she was certainly raised better than that. Shepard knew pushing the doctor unto feelings she had just discovered as far as she knew wouldn't do either of them any good especially the spark between them and from experience that spark could be extinguished by pushing someone.

"It's alright Liara," Shepard stood up and looked at the good doctor. "Come on in."

"I- Oh. Okay." Liara took a step in cautiously as if there was a trap or something of the sort waiting for her. Shepard rose an eyebrow and wiped her hands off on a cloth for safety. "Hello, Commander." She smiled nervously. Shepard smirked and motioned her over to the table and couch. "I thought I-"

"You could what?" Shepard asked curiously throwing the rag aside. Liara was gawking at the miniature replica of where they first met made out of wood on the table. It wasn't yet finished, but it was getting there.

"Could uh talk with you." She looked back to the commander.

"What's wrong?"

"Huh? Oh! Nothing! I meant chat- you know uh-"

"Get to know each other?" Shepard's heart was delighted at the opportunity. She had learned more than anyone on the ship about her and felt like she knew her deeper than that, but this was a chance to learn something new about her and she was glad it had arisen! Shepard had learned many things in her years one of which was If you'd like to see the real person some is put their hands to work. Liara was still looking at the replica on the dirtied, wood shaven mess, tools drawn out table covered by a protective sheet.

The place had been stuck in her mind since they retrieved the good doctor and she was added to her crew. It had been years since she worked on a wood carving so-to-speak but she found the skill she had before came back tenfold no doubt over the past four years. She stopped after the blitz finding no reason or purpose to refill her once forgotten passion until Liara. It was a good chance and she used it well. She could remember taking the four courses on it back on Mindoir. Sad but good memory.

"I-it's so-"

"Silly? I know." Shepard laughed.

"Beautiful." Liara gave her a look. Shepard smiled and nodded as a thank you for that. "May I?" Liara asked as she saw Shepard sit down and Shepard nodded yes to which Liara sat down and continued to observe it. "How long have you been-?"

"Since we picked you up." Shepard smiled.

"Goddess."

"It was a unique place," Shepard admitted, "I'm just sad we had to leave it in the state it's it in now." She sighed.

Upon first look, it hadn't looked anything special to a soldier but she knew better. Liara had put a lot of work into the dig site and whatever they had uncovered but now it was all a waste when they had to rescue her. It was a silly thing to feel guilty over, but she couldn't help it she felt as if the guilt wasn't misplaced. Who knew?

"Don't you dare feel guilty over that. You had NO other choice." Liara shoved her lightly and playfully but with a smile. "Everything I found I backed up to a disk anyways. I have it in my quarters, oh the wonders to be discovered! After Saren of course but this is even if a tiny step closer it's something closer to learning more about the protheans! Recipes or even a location of a Library-!" Liara realized she had begun to ramble and blushed. "I- I apologize Commander. I did not mean to let myself get swept up aga-" Shepard put a hand on her arm squeezing it gently and gave her a stern look.

"No need to apologize really." She sat back again. "This is a free place for you, talk about whatever you want and do whatever you want. You're free here." Liara looked genuinely shocked by the gesture and had no response. "What?"

"I- I just have never met someone like you. No one has ever given me that- luxury before. To speak as I want in their presence. Many find my ramblings obnoxious and childish because of my age." Liara sighed and leaned forward to look at the ground. "I suppose they have a reason as well. I am fairly young, perhaps they are babblings of nonsense. Nothing short of ignorance."

Liara had been told often of how childish she sounded. Though she had always tried to ignore those insults eventually they had begun to sink into her and cause her to doubt herself at times. She knew none to be true, but it still heart all the same to hear. She knew more were to come.

"Actually," Liara looked at Shepard, "they aren't. They're nothing short of remarkable and spoken by a perhaps young but amazing and intelligent woman I have gotten the privilege of knowing as long as I have. Once they have as much experience in Protheans as you do then they can speak but not until then. Hell, even then you'd still be the smartest out there." Liara blushed.

"I am not used to such praise commander thank you." Shepard nodded. Liara returned back to her thoughts about the replica before them and motioned towards it. "How did you do it?"

"Years of practice really. I actually haven't done anything like this in awhile."

"May I ask why?" Liara asked curiously.

A short sadness befell her as she remembered. Yulia. Her ex, a spy for someone else and had infiltrated her team causing her to fall hard for the spy whom she thought was only the perfect sniper at the time. It was the first time she had put her skills of this to the challenge of replicating the beautiful womans face as a token of affection. She had taken it and given Shepard a necklace in return thus their bond and relationship spawned. Instead of it being actual love by the end of it Shepard had a few scars given to her by the woman, almost all her team dead, a broken heart that wouldn't recover for sometime, and a new found fear of love or anything to be similar to it. She had learned to work against it but at times she would still be quite afraid of opening up that part of her.

"I- knew someone." Shepard chuckled to herself. "I shouldn't have trusted. I used to make things for her to show her how I felt because I didn't know any other way but uh- she broke my trust and heart, I hadn't found a reason to continue it till now." She admitted with nostalgia. In an odd way she had Yulia to thank for making her harden just that bit more. It helped her get through tough things.

"I do not understand. I mean I do not understand why she would do that to someone like you. You are too sweet and kind to be broken like that." Shepard smiled at Liara.

"I appreciate that but back then I was different. I was still patient but not as much, and it wasn't a very healthy relationship either." Before Liara could ask Shepard could sense her curiousity and explained. "I was brash in a way, looking for love but never understanding what that fully meant. I had just joined the Alliance so-to-speak. She- well she pushed me constantly. Over boundaries. Nothing bad I guess but my mentality and emotions were never in check with her during the last term of it. She asked me to well- before I was ready and I felt like I owed her so I did as she asked. I was never ready for her but I wanted to be."

"I know the feeling."

Shepard thought about that for a moment. Had she pushed? She hadn't meant to. God she didn't-

"Have I pushed?"

"What? Oh goddess no! No I promise you have not! I just- I meant wanting to be ready for someone when you're not! I-I apologize I hadn't meant to insinuate-" Shepard took her hand squeezed it with a smile.

"Alright then I just wanted to be sure. I just can't imagine doing that to someone else." Liara nodded. "Besides I could wait forever for you as long as you'll have me you know?" Liara blinked as she stood up. "Not sexually I mean Liara. While that is intriguing I'm not one to quickie then run. My interests are purely for you I hope you know that."

"I am not so sure I follow with you commander."

Shepard turned the small radio on and held her hand out to Liara whom was shocked for a moment but took it regardless and was pulled to her feet. Shepard motioned for her to take her hand but her look said on her own time and when she did take the hand Shepard stepped closer wrapping a hand around her waist and took the lead.

"I mean I am interested in you but not for your body. I am interested in you because you're you and there is something amazing beautiful about that. About you. I'm not one to- well be a one night stand. If I give myself It's to someone I deeply care about and no other person in the world." Liara was still confused as to the meaning and Shepard smiled as she finished. "I put myself out there- here for you at anytime and anywhere Liara. Just you. No one else. I understand why you misunderstood I and Kaidan but we're merely just friends and soldiers."

Liara was unsure of whether to be absolutely terrified or for her heart to swell in the meaning of the commander's words just now. She was both. She was terrified because she had never met someone so true to their word or someone as compassionate at the woman was whom she was dancing with at this moment. It was almost scary how much she believed those words. They were too true to be real and to real to be true. It was funny how she did that.

"I am unsure of what to say." Shepard shook her heard.

"You don't have to say anything but I can tell it's been weighing on you if I still had interest, Liara T'Soni everyday I talk to you. I see you first and last everyday. Do you know why? Because everytime I do I see something that makes me like you more and more. It never ceases to amaze me how no one else can see it," She smiled pressing their foreheads together as they stopped in place smiling at each other. "I am glad at the same time as well because it means I'm special or atleast good enough to see that much. So yes I could wait till I die."

"You are special Shepard. If what you say is true then it's true for me too. I- yes. I am scared and would like to wait until atleast we are free from deaths grasp but your smile right now is enough to refill my strength and inspiration for conintuing this mission of your- ours." Shepard smirked even as Liara stepped away to leave as the unspoken thing both needed had been fullfilled. "Crew are like family aren't they?" Shepard nodded. "I think it's very true with this crew."

"You're apart of it." Liara nodded with a smile but stopped at the doorway.

"Shepard-"

"Dyne."

"Hm?"

"Call me Dyne, Liara. It is my name after all." Liara's heart stopped for a moment. It might have seemed silly to some but to her...this was more than enough at the moment. How could she have caught such a soldier? She had no idea. But she was glad she had.

And a beautiful one, Liara thought. She nodded. "I see more than a soldier."

"Come by tomorrow and I'll teach you a bit," She motioned towards the unfinished replica. "As a gift."

"I would like that. Good Night, Dyne." And she was gone leaving Dyne to smile like a fool and sit back at her table.


End file.
